By Diana Wilkinson

 

I’m still caught off guard when I’m served mint chocolate chip ice cream and it’s not green. You would think because mint leaves are green it would make green ice cream, isn’t that why it’s green most of the time?

It’s fairly obvious to me now, but that bright green color is just added to look appealing–that’s the only purpose, color! You can also find this fake coloring in pickles, salad dressing, and so many more everyday food products.

In the Nabhan Ted Talk, she mentions a synthetic grain that’s gaining popularity. It looks like the real thing. Tastes like the real thing. But she says no matter how similar it seems we cannot fool our bodies.

Real foods have superior nutrition, taste and are often have less impact on the planet. Instead of trying to replicate sweetness or bright colors, the average consumer should instead look for the simplest ingredients and work to make those accessible to everyone.

Someone, somewhere had the ingenious idea to instead NOT add the food coloring, and I think it’s representative of a greater trend in the food system. People don’t want synthetic dyes and will choose to alternatively eat more natural products.

Kraft even announced it’s famous macaroni and cheese would take out the almost iconic, unnatural orange color!

If a large company like Kraft is making these changes as a result of consumer demand, I have faith consumers will eventually drive the market away from the processed to the whole and real foods.

 

By Diana Wilkinson

Some people eat to live while others live to eat. It’s an expression I’ve heard hundreds of times, and reflects what I view as a flawed mentality surrounding food in current American culture. The act of eating should be more than to sustain life and less than an all consuming time-suck.

“Much of our present debate on the state of the contemporary food system….is grounded in two powerful American cultural values,” according to Trubeck. “First that talking and caring about food above and beyond its mere sustenance value are improper, and second, that every american deserves a chicken in his or her pot.”

Food simply isn’t as cherished here compared to other places. Caring about your food isn’t something we value. When I lived in Italy, the locals saw food is art, a source of community, and a sacred cultural tradition worth preserving.

Once I ate a slice of pizza while walking to the bus and people looked at me like I was walking backwards with my shoes tied together. I shudder to think what they would think if they knew about one of five meals is eaten in a car.

On the other hand, Americans do feel a strong sense of responsibility to ensure everyone has food, but how much good does that do if the food lacks nutritional value. Eating processed and unhealthy food may be better than nothing, but it may not make people feel good and lead to serious health problems down the road.

Maybe these two deeply entrenched cultural values are in part what lead to the pervasiveness of fast food in American society. The cheapness of fast food has made is so no one goes hungry–or at least it appears that way.
I do believe Americans are starting to become increasingly and unapologetically mindful of the food they consume. Hopefully, that will translate to those of every income and we can start to become a better fed nation.

(Courtesy of Petr Kratochvil)

The first time I drove through Vermont, every road felt picturesque. Rust-colored barns, grain silos and animals grazing in the grassy pastures reminded me of the classic American farm consistently depicted in paintings, films and other media. I’d like to believe all livestock lived on farms like the one I saw and had a similar diet, but unfortunately I know that’s not the reality.

The majority of cattle raised for meat and milk production is kept in feedlots and receive grain instead of grass for sustenance. While this alteration might seem like an inconsequential change-up, it can actually impact the nutritional benefits, quality of life for the animal and the final product.

According to the Washington Post, cows fed exclusively grass will have higher concentrations of vitamins A and E and contain less fat. In fact, omega-3 levels will be almost 50 percent higher in grass-fed beef.

The same holds true for milk. “Grass-only” and organic milk also have higher levels of omega-3s and the market has been steadily growing for it—despite its greater price tag.

“Grass-only” milk, the cows receive an almost exclusively grass diet, and in order for milk to receive a USDA certified organic label, the cows must get least 30 percent of their diet from grass and graze for more than 120 days a year in a pasture.

If you are a beef-eater, the taste of exclusively grass-fed meat may be better too. Some have said it can be chewier, but it will maintain a superior flavor compared to other types of grain fed cows.

The taste and added nutrients aren’t the only benefits from a grassier diet. If animals, like cows, are fed too much seed they will become sick and require antibiotics, according to Michael Polan. Low-dose antibiotics used in feed to ward off infection can lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria and substantial public health issues.

There is, however, some debate over whether or not a feed-based diet is better for the planet. Beef production all in all is not environmentally friendly.  In the United States about 30 million cattle were slaughtered in 2014 alone, and raising those cows creates a substantial amount of methane.

Some argue raising cows in feedlots allows can help manage the methane, but it’s unclear if it actually makes a substantial difference in the environment. Either way, the best way to help the environment would be to consumer less animal products altogether. There may also be some health benefits associated with a diet with more veggies and less meat.

Overall, it’s almost no question that eating a healthier diet makes us healthier, so why shouldn’t the same hold true for cows? If a diet of too much grain and seeds can make cows and can even make them sick, shouldn’t that be a red flag for a consumer? To me, paying the premium for grass fed is worth it.